A Tradition of Serving

Angene Hopkins Wilson ’61 and Fran Hopkins Irwin ’63 in 2001

Angene Hopkins Wilson and Jack Wilson, ’61s, were among the first Wooster alumni to join the Peace Corps, which was created in 1961. In the February 1966 Wooster, Wilson shared her thoughts on why the College ranked third in the U.S. in percentage of graduates going into the Peace Corps.

"The tradition of service is old at Wooster," she wrote, adding that "Wooster taught me to do research, to write on my own, to study independently," and "the Peace Corps prizes independent action."

While Wooster hasn’t placed in Peace Corps rankings lately, student interest in the program is increasing, reflecting national trends. World events may be driving the interest along with a slow job market, but the Peace Corps is hardly passé, says Scot Roskelley, a public affairs specialist with the organization.

"The need is still great, if not greater, and the interest is still significant – our applications for 2003 were up by close to ten percent over 2002," Roskelley says. "Our mission is as true today as it was forty-three years ago. We have three goals: to bring skills to countries that need them; to promote a better understanding of Americans; and to bring some understanding of other cultures back to the U.S."

Twelve Wooster alumni from the classes of 1998 to 2002 currently serve in the Peace Corps. Lisa Kastor, career services director at Wooster, sees some four to six students each semester who seriously consider signing up. It’s a daunting application process and a two-year commitment out of the country. But interest in the Peace Corps along with a number of faith-based service organizations and domestic programs such as AmeriCorps remains especially high since September 11, 2001.

Marcie Kasek ’01 left in January for Zambia to work on a program that will broadcast classes by radio to rural villages. A sociology major, Kasek brings two years of AmeriCorps experience in public school program development and a half year working with College administrators as a policy analyst.

"I’m ready to experience another culture, to throw myself into service somewhere else," Kasek says. "I’m not ready for just a normal job."– L.W.